I have a shirt that reads “I am not… But I Know I AM.” A person lacking an understanding of God’s revelation as the “I AM” may put the emphasis on “know” and thereby interpret the statement to mean “I talk myself up to be more than I actually am.” The actual meaning of the statement, however, is completely opposite of such an interpretation, and can only be understood through an understanding of God, the “I AM.”

The implications of the statement itself are extensively applicable to many situations, as indicated by the ellipsis after the word “not”. By itself, “I am not…” can be quite disheartening: I am not special, I am not great, I am not intelligent, I am not capable, etc. There are thousands of words and phrases that can be placed after the words “I am not.” Furthermore, when we say we are not …, we imply that we cannot …, as illustrated by Moses’ dialogue with God in Exodus chapters 3 and 4. Moses makes no less than 4 (perhaps 5) arguments that he is not ready for the job. In his last argument that he could not do what God had called him to do, in verse 10 of chapter 4, he says “I am not eloquent … I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”

The second, more important part of the statement, “But I know I AM,” is the answer to all of Moses’ misgivings about his own abilities, but it takes him a while to get it. After Moses’ second argument, “God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14), and when Moses made his case that he was not eloquent, God said “Who hath made man’s mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say” (Exodus 4:11-12). In other words, “Moses, it’s not who you are that matters; it’s who I am that counts. I made your mouth and I will guide you to the right words.” Moses could say, “I am not eloquent, but I know I AM,” and when you know I AM, you don’t have to be eloquent. As we decrease, God increases; when we are not able, God does the work through us and thereby receives the glory due unto his name.

With God’s infinite knowledge and insight into the future, it would be foolhardy to rely on one’s own abilities or talents. David said in Psalm 139:6, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” David, made the same type of statement that Moses made back in Exodus, but judging by the contextual location of this verse (in the midst of sundry praises for God’s all-seeing providence), David’s acknowledgement of his inability to attain unto the wonderful knowledge of God shows his understanding that God would make up for what he lacked on a much higher scale. It’s not only acceptable to not be something, but based on God’s Power, it’s actually beneficial, because God can always do a better job than we can. I am thus happy to make the statement, “I am not… But I know I AM!”

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